Why won’t the Historical Commission hold hearings on designating buildings or districts in the nomination pipeline? It’s petrified. Hidden City Daily unpacks the Commission’s designation freeze that leaves fragile historic buildings (like the Gretz Brewery) and proposed districts (like Washington Square West) dangling in the wind. Aside from being understaffed the big reason for the freeze is a political deadlock over the potential Overbrook Farms Historic District. Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. threatened to exert councilmanic prerogative over the Commission’s designation authority because some landowners were against the designation. Since Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger asked for the Overbrook nomination to be tabled in 2012, no nominations have moved forward. And there’s no end to the freeze in sight.

Under the School District’s revised school closing and reorganization plan, 11 schools originally on the list of 37 schools to be closed were granted a reprieve, the Inquirer reports. “ The 11 are: AMY at James Martin, Cooke, Duckrey, Gompers, Lankenau, Meade, McCloskey, McMichael, Morris, and Overbrook Elementaries, and Strawberry Mansion High. All are located in North, Northwest, or West Philadelphia. Two schools not on the original closure list could now be shut in June: M.H. Stanton in North Philadelphia and Beeber Middle School in West Philadelphia.”

Rob Teplitz calls for more reform at the Delaware River Port Authority in an Inquirer opinion piece. Teplitz served as an alternate for the DRPA Auditor General for five years and despite some successful reform efforts he calls more change. Chief among the improvements: new leadership and for Pennsylvania and New Jersey to have equal weight in board decisions.